Leeanne Enoch to be First Indigenous Woman in Queensland Parliament

Some of the best news to come out of the Queensland election is that Leeanne Enoch has just secured victory in her Brisbane seat. The new MP for Algester won for Labor, making her the first female Indigenous MP in Queensland. Enoch won her seat with a swing of 17.5%.

Leeanne is a proud Nunukul/Nughi woman from North Stradbroke Island. She began her career in teaching, then went on to work in management for the Australian Red Cross, guiding humanitarian policy and programs to improve the lives of Australia’s most vulnerable. Since then she has been developing policy and implementation strategies for public health and social justice, most recently with the Queensland Council of Unions.

Billy Gordon, who took the seat of Cook, shares with Enoch the title of Queensland Labor’s first Indigenous parliamentarians. His seat was held by another Indigenous man, Eric Deeral, some forty years ago, but for the National party.

Leeanne’s brother is Wesley Enoch, who is Artistic Director of the Queensland Theatre Company and the director of Black Diggers and the original stage production of The Sapphires, so that family already has a substantial history of both talent, and giving back to their community.

Here is Leeanne Enoch’s page on the Queensland Labor website. Congratulations to Leeanne, and to Queensland!